Humans will become venomous species?

Recent research shows that in human saliva contains a substance that produces toxins like snake venom in the mouth. Will humans be able to evolve into venomous animals in the next ten thousand years?

The venom helps the snakes defend themselves and hunts. Explaining the venom in the snake The research was carried out by experts at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (Japan) with the Australian National University (Australia) and published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). . Research indicates a link between mammalian salivary glands and snake venom glands. Agneesh Barua, lead author of the paper and a graduate student in evolutionary genetics at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, said: “In the past, we had the basic foundations. to find out about this. “Now, thanks to evolution, we can dig deeper and more accurately into the relationship between mammalian salivary glands and snake venom glands.” Previously, scientists believed that the venom gland evolved from the salivary gland because the venom is composed of proteins that are transformed from saliva. The oral venom system is assumed to evolve through evolution, but how it evolved and the molecular structure in the venom system remains unknown. Research by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology and the Australian National University are the first scientific evidence to find an answer to this fake snow. To produce toxins, snakes have evolved in the direction of converting many different substances in the body into venom. Initially, scientists suspected the gene was behind the poison formation in snake venom and a number of different species such as spiders and coolie – the only primate to have venom. However, the study did not find out what causes the venom to develop in the mouths of the animals. The research does not focus on toxins because they grow quickly, they are complex mixtures of many compounds, the Baride scientist explains. From there, the scientists decided to switch not to check the genes that produce the toxin, but to study the genes that help change the salivary system into the venom gland in the mouth. These are genes that are involved in the venom but are not responsible for the toxin production. Contact toxins in the human body Human saliva contains toxins that produce toxins. Through testing the genome of Taiwan habu snake, the researchers found the gene that supports the change, named “metavenom network”. This gene is responsible for protecting cells from the stress caused by the production of large amounts of protein. Similar genes are found in the salivary glands of some mammals such as chimpanzees, mice, even humans or terrestrial egg-laying animals such as birds and reptiles. These two genes have quite similar modes of action. Both produce large amounts of protein in saliva. With snakes, this gene helps to create large toxic saliva, suitable for their hunting and defense purposes. While in mammals such as humans, genes also make large amounts of protein in saliva but does not contain toxins. The common thing that these genes have in common is their ability to produce toxins, but snakes combine many different toxins, while mammals produce simpler venom, which has a similarity with saliva, Baride says. In fact, under certain environmental conditions, rats can make many toxic proteins in their saliva. Or in human saliva contains Kallikrein, an enzyme that helps digest proteins and they are also components in the “metavenom network”. If mutated, Kallikrein will convert saliva into venom that causes pain and death for infected objects. If so, according to evolution, in the next ten thousand years rats may have venom in their mouths, and so can humans. Mechanism of venom production However, Barua said, Kallikreins in human saliva can hardly evolve into toxins in snake venom. The “metavenom web” is a method of defense or elimination of prey and it evolves according to the animal’s way of life. The same species of snake, but living in different terrains and environments, the toxin is also different. For example, snakes live in the desert, mainly hunt rats on flat terrain, their venom slowly seeps into their prey. But snakes that live in the rocky mountains have a stronger toxin, instantly killing the lizard-like agility. Meanwhile, humans have invented tools, weapons and social structures to increase labor productivity and to process food, so there is no need to use venom. In addition, the creation of the venom is difficult. If not used regularly, the venom is lost. For example, sea snakes used to possess venom but are now harmless because they switch from eating fish to eating fish eggs, which do not require the use of toxins. New research may not raise hope for human “superpowers” but scientists have found a way for species to control venom in the body, which may be the key of medicine. . Find out how genes that control external protein expression can recognize diseases like cancer. Because most deaths from cancer are due to cancer cells growing out of control.